Story:

This teddy bear has the same age as me. Today was the first time I picked it up since 6 years ago and I didn’t have the time to wash it. When I was sleeping with my dolls, I always made sure that their heads were not covered by the blanket, so they could breathe, and sometimes, I also dreamed about them becoming alive when I looked at their eyes. For this reason, I decided to cut the hair of the teddy bear. It had longer hair, but I wanted to look at him in the eyes, as they were always covered. After a few days after cutting its hair, I regretted it, he looked much better with his eyes covered. Only after a few days, I realised his hair could not grow. 

I have been living here in Italy since I was 6 years old. I went to kindergarten in Russia; when I arrived in Italy, I lived in Gela for 6 years and then moved to Palermo. 

I can say that I am at home, but socially I’ve never felt accepted. I never really had friends, I was always isolated. During elementary and middle school, I was often bullied by my classmates. Many people talked badly about my mom, saying that she was a prostitute and other things. Xenophobia is really prevalent in the south, especially in the small towns. After moving to Palermo, I felt much more accepted, Palermo is the biggest town in Sicily, with much more cultural mixing.

– Elli